When I told my mom I hadn’t purchased a microwave for the house I moved into a year ago, she balked, then offered to send me money to buy a microwave. Thoughtful coworkers have also volunteered to spearhead crowdfunding campaigns.

Some folks relieve stress by baking sourdough bread or elaborate layer cakes; good for them. When I’m sad and stressed, I need the shortest, hardest-to-mess-up path to a lot of chocolate I can find. For me, that path always leads to cocoa brownies.